Hello from Malaysia! (Shhhh I know I am actually home in Canada, but for now we are pretending I am still on the fild sending you my final update!)
This past month has been a whirlwind of emotions, mainly because it is our final month on th Race and we are attempting to process that and prepare for re-entry, but still staying focused on the present ministry at hand. Lets just say there have been lots of tears, snot and crinkled faces!
We are ending in a Muslim country, where we are not even aloud to say things like "Praise the Lord!" "Hallelujah" "Jesus, Holy Spirit" and we not aloud to say we are Christian missionaries. This month we are strictly volunteers. This has been really hard, as we have not exprienced this yet and have gotten very used to openly sharing our faith. We came up with some undercover words to make it a bit easier for us. It has also been hard being a team of women here. We have to be well covered outside our hostel, and even still men whistle, shout, follow and stare at us like we are nothing but objects. It made me really miss our D-Squad brothers who made us feel honoured, loved and protected. They served as a constant reminder to me that not all men are like this! There are really good ones out there serving as examples of what a Godly man looks like. I hope to have a husband and sons like our Squad men some day. They must make their mothers so proud.
Our ministry here in Malaysia is teaching english to Chinese, Indian and Maylay children. Although teaching english is not my favorit ministry because we don't see any direct results or spiritual experiences, I know I am making a difference for these kids' future. The truth is, they can stay in school all the way through, but if they do not learn how to be fluent in english, the career options for them are very few. English can open many doors for them to get out of poverty, oppression and to make a difference in their families and communities.God is using english to break chains.
We also do the homeschooling lessons for our contact's children. They learn all day long at the centre ran by their parents and honestly they can't get enough! They LOVE to learn! I get to teach them arts and crafts and science.
In addition to our lessons we are doing many organizational projects for the centre, and mine are centred around art! I got to paint two murals and put together a lesson plan booklet focused around the classic children's story, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! Before the race I had very little experience painting murals, but now I am in love with it! What an awesome way to speak life into a place. God uses pictures and images and dreams so many times throughout history to speak to people and I believe He still does it today, as this is one of the main ways I relate to my Papa. So the highlight of my month was painting the giant rainbow tree with the fruits of the spirit blossoming out of flowers. I belive this centre will be a virbrant source of life and promise in Malaysia and all who come will learn to bear much fruit!
We were also able to begin our month on Pangkor Island (beachy) for a mini debrief; take a trip to the Cameron Highlands to see the tea plantations, strawberry, butterfly and bee farms; and then to finish with final debrief on Penang Island (city/touristy) which is the most beautiful place ever. I could have spent a motnh just wandering the streets chatting with the locals and eating AMAZING food!
Its crazy that this has been my life for 11 beautiful, difficult, uncomfortable, powerful, kingdom-filled months!!! What a dream come true! God has blessed me with a beautiful family in my teams and squad and with people around the world who have touched my heart in ways I still can't comprehend. My Papa is GOOD and I have truly been blessed! Thank you so much to everyone who gave out of the overflow of their hearts to keep me on the field. May the Good Lord bless you TENFOLD!
I understand that many of you looked forward to receiving my blogs throughout the year and so I am going to continue it for the next 6 months-ish. The 11 month part of my race has come to an end, but our entire life is a race isn't it? Not a race against time, but a journey of trials and faithfulness until we come to the end. So I want to keep you informed on updates I recieve from past ministries, lessons I am learning post-race and also bring you along as I process and reflect on this past year.
My reflecting hasn't gotten too deep yet (mostly been sleeping/eating and spending time with friends and family) but trust me, it will get VERY DEEP. I am an artist, and when the mural is finished, you get down off the ladder, step back and take a look at the big picture before you can fully take it in. That is what is about to happen with my race. I am now entering a season of fullty taking the finished product in. So I hope you will join me for that journey too.
Again, thanks so much for your part and love! With your help, and so very much of God's love and grace, I FINISHED THE RACE!
**Here is a recap video of our team's ministry by Stacy Chew! Enjoy!
